The United States and Japan will step up their defence cooperation to deal with the threat from nuclear-armed North Korea as tensions in East Asia remain high, officials from the two allies said on Thursday.

Vic council worker 'took brothel bribes'

A Melbourne council inspector was allegedly paid cash bribes to turn a blind eye to suspected illegal brothels including one opposite a busy children's park, a court has heard.

As a planning investigations officer with Darebin City Council, 53-year-old Rudie Werner was responsible for investigating suspected illegal brothels in Melbourne's north.

His committal hearing in the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Monday was told Werner accepted cash payments of $1000 from two suspected illegal brothel operators between 2009 and 2011.

According to prosecution documents tendered to the court, Werner told the two brothel owners about council investigations into illegal brothels, as well as permits that were being considered for a legal brothel.

He allegedly turned a blind eye to the two suspected illegal brothels that he was receiving payments from, one of which was located opposite a busy children's playground in Preston.

The court heard one of the alleged brothel owners Werner was receiving payments from was an associate of his wife.

It is alleged Werner's wife then lobbied her husband to take action against another suspected illegal brothel in Preston, in a bid to get rid of the competition for her friend.

Related Articles

Werner is facing 18 charges including bribery and receiving cash suspected to be the proceeds of crime.

Former detective Alex Roberts said Werner became a suspect in 2011 when investigations into similar offences by another council worker uncovered accounting records by a brothel owner for payments to a Darebin council worker.

Police then intercepted calls between Werner and the two suspected brothel owners, said Mr Roberts.

"The context of the phone calls indicated to me that he was probably taking bribes and if not, definitely doing something he shouldn't have done," he said.

Mr Roberts said he approached Werner in September 2011 after he had had a meeting with one of the alleged brothel owners.